Siemens announced SIPROTEC V at DISTRIBUTECH 2026 in San Diego on February 4, 2026 — a software-defined protection and control system that consolidates the functions of up to 60 hardware Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) on a single COTS server running Real-Time Linux. The announcement positions virtualisation as the next step for substation protection and control, bringing the SIPROTEC product line from embedded hardware into a server-hosted software architecture.
Same algorithms, new delivery model
SIPROTEC V runs the same protection algorithms as SIPROTEC 5 — not a reimplemented equivalent, but the same software base deployed as virtual instances on a shared server. Each instance operates as a virtual IED, isolated within its own bay context.
The engineering toolchain does not change. Engineers use DIGSI 5 and the IEC 61850 System Configurator — the same tools used for hardware SIPROTEC 5 devices — to configure and commission virtual instances. According to Siemens, no retraining is required for teams already familiar with the existing product.
Siemens delivers SIPROTEC V as a hardware-software bundle: the operating system comes pre-installed on whitelisted, substation-grade COTS hardware certified to IEC 61850-3-1, which defines environmental and electromagnetic requirements for substation equipment. Siemens does not disclose the specific hardware platforms included in its approved list.
A bay-wise concept governs how virtual IEDs are managed. Lifecycle operations — starting, stopping, or testing a virtual IED — are executed per bay and do not interrupt operations in adjacent bays.
Onyeche Tifase, Vice President of Product Lifecycle Management at Siemens Smart Infrastructure, described the product as a move of established SIPROTEC expertise into a virtualised platform: "Siprotec is a name utilities trust. With Siprotec V, we take that trusted expertise into the digital era — turning proven protection algorithms into a powerful virtualized platform."
Three substation architecture paths
Siemens describes three scenarios for deploying SIPROTEC V, each corresponding to a different level of substation digitalisation.
In a conventional substation, the virtualised protection server connects via analogue signal inputs to existing current and voltage infrastructure. In a process bus configuration, merging units digitise current and voltage at the field level and publish Sampled Values over an IEC 61850-9-2 process bus; SIPROTEC V subscribes to those streams as a station-level server. In a fully virtualised architecture, the entire secondary system operates over digital communications, with copper wiring reduced to the connections between merging units and primary equipment.
Across all three scenarios, merging units remain positioned closer to primary equipment — a physical placement that limits personnel exposure to high-voltage hazards during maintenance.
Stated reduction targets
Siemens states that SIPROTEC V can reduce capital expenditure by up to 25% and total cost of ownership by up to 20%, compared to a conventional hardware-based Protection, Automation and Control (PAC) architecture. According to the company, substation building space requirements can fall by up to 45%, and carbon emissions associated with installation can be cut by up to 50% through reduced copper cabling and physical infrastructure. Siemens also states that project execution timelines can be shortened by up to six months.
These figures come from Siemens and have not been independently verified. Actual outcomes will depend on project scope, existing infrastructure, and site-specific conditions.
DISTRIBUTECH 2026: three signals from one event
DISTRIBUTECH 2026 brought together several software-defined PAC announcements within the same week.
GE Vernova launched GridBeats APS (Automation and Protection System) on February 3, one day before the Siemens announcement. GridBeats APS uses what GE Vernova describes as patented hardware abstraction technology to consolidate what previously required hundreds of individual communication and cybersecurity packages into as few as ten, while enabling remote updates without taking protection functions offline.
The vPAC Alliance — a utility-led initiative with over 35 members promoting open, standards-based, interoperable software-defined substation architectures — held demonstrations at the same event. The Alliance advocates for hardware decoupling and vendor flexibility through standardised interfaces, a model distinct from the single-vendor platform approaches taken by both SIPROTEC V and GridBeats APS.
The convergence of these announcements at a single industry event reflects a broader shift in how PAC vendors and utilities are framing the next phase of substation automation.
Three gaps in public disclosures
The SIPROTEC V announcement leaves several technical questions unanswered in available public materials.
The isolation mechanism between virtual IED instances is not disclosed. Siemens describes a bay-wise operational model and references Real-Time Linux as the operating system, but has not published details on how instances are separated — whether through hardware virtualisation, OS-level containers, or another approach. For cybersecurity evaluation, this is a material gap.
Process bus latency performance in a virtualised configuration has not been published. IEC 61850-5 specifies timing requirements for protection functions using Sampled Values over a process bus. Whether Real-Time Linux-hosted virtual IEDs meet those requirements under production load conditions is not addressed in available Siemens materials.
The IEC 62443 Security Level applicable to SIPROTEC V is not stated. Siemens references IEC 62443 compliance, RBAC, CIS-aligned hardening, and adherence to NERC CIP and the BDEW White Paper — but has not published the specific Security Level claimed or any third-party certification for SIPROTEC V as a system.